The doctrine of union with Christ is one of the warmest doctrines a Christian can understand. Union with Christ teaches that all that belongs to Christ, is mine. I am so united to him, that I am united in his death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-6). My union with Christ means that my life is now, “hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). Therefore, when Christ appears, I also will appear with him in glory (Col. 3:4). Union with Christ is from where I get all spiritual life and power for living.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:3-5
Union with Christ has wonderful implications for our justified status, our power for sanctification, and our perseverance unto the end. But perhaps one area of union with Christ we do not consider enough, is our union with Christ and how it necessitates communion with other Christians.
We readily enough understand that we are united to Christ and therefore all of his saving benefits. And we also understand to some degree the imagery given to us throughout the New Testament of the church as a body (1 Cor. 12:12-31) and the church as a family (the many references to fellow believers as brothers and sisters). But do we combine these images enough? Understanding union with Christ will help us see these two concepts together.
When we put together the saving benefits we have in Christ, with our understanding of the nature of the church, we see that it is not simply that we are united to Christ. Nor is it that we are simply united to one another. It is because we are united to Christ, we are united to one another. Just as as our union with Christ assures us of our justified status, so our union with Christ unites us to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
This union with Christ and union with one another is most clearly seen in the local church. This shows us how essential fellowship in local churches is. The church can not be reduced to a time of worship, encouragement, instruction, or even fellowship. It is all of these things, but it is more than just these things. At its most basic level, our connection to local churches is the natural fruit of union with Christ.
Union with Christ necessitates love for one another. Love for other Christians is a distinctive of a disciple of Jesus (John 13:34). Just as it is natural for children born into the same family by the same parents to have a love for one another, to an even greater level, it is natural for Christians to love one another. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” (1 John 5:1).
So how should union with Christ prepare us for worship on the Lord’s Day. First, we worship as those united to Christ. We worship because we are in Christ, united to him. This changes the object of our worship, and gives us a reason for worship.
Secondly, we are to worship with others who are united to Christ. Union with Christ demands regular communion with the saints. If our union with Christ is our life (Col. 3:4), then should not also our communion with the saints be the central element of our lives and weeks?
Third, union with Christ changes how we view the church and our involvement in it. It is a place of spiritual growth, encouragement and fellowship, through the ministry of the word, but it is also more than that. Because of my union to Christ, and therefore my union to other Christians, I have certain obligations and responsibilities which I get to joyful and faithfully fulfill. Empowered by the Spirit, by virtue of our union with Christ, we can glorify God in our local church.